Savings bank



1945. e. c. CARLSON 2,339,716

SAVINGS BANK Filed Feb. 16, 1942 Iii/677,215 r.'

I Gear 8 Cazrlaom %,aw

Patented Nov. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAVINGS BANK George C. Carlson, Chicago, Ill. Application February 16, 1942, Serial No. 431,805

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a novelty type of coin savings bank designed primarily for use with a photographic frame or the like.

Various types of coin banks have heretofore been designed mainly for purpose of providing a simple and inexpensive structure. In the construction of smaller size banks, the question of strength or theft of coins therefrom has never been regarded as an important factor. Smaller banks are seldom constructed to serve any purpose other than that of accumulating and holding small sums of money. In certain instances, they have been designed also as a novelty item for the purpose of carrying certain desirable advertising. The amount of the space available for the advertising matter is limited however with the consequent result that this advertising matter had little if any value.

An object of this invention is to provide a savings bank of an improved construction, and of the novelty type referred to, being particularly adapted to incorporate a picture frame in combination with a coin receptacle and an improved but simple form of lock whereby access to the interior of the bank is necessary before the photograph can be removed or replaced. The device is, therefore, useful and has certain benefits in promoting and developing certain interests in, say, the photograph field or associated fields. By retaining the means for actuating the lock affording access to the interior and by compelling the owner of the bank to appear at the time the bank is opened to remove the contents, the merchant will be in a position to rely upon the owner using the savings in purchasing photographs or the like, particularly those of infants in whose behalf the banks might be given as gifts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure of this type that is simple, inexpensive and of few parts.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such a structure that is effective in holding the removable part in locked position, which part may be quickly operated by the proper key either in locked or unlocked position. The parts are debe swung into engaging relation with opposite side walls within the receptacle and thereby be held against displacement, this cleat being so arranged that it may be held in this position by a second locking element having specially engageable means operable through the coin slot in the receptacle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description rear face and with a portion'Of the wall broken away to show the locking mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a View of the type of key that may be used.-

Referring specifically to the drawing, the device comprises a coin receptacle designated generally as I and a picture frame likewise broadly designated as 2 but forming the removable front wall of receptacle I. Receptacle I and frame 2 may be of any suitable design that is constructed of metal, wood or plastic material. Frame 2 may have the usual opening 3 and rabbet 4 to carry the glass or celluloid front 5, the picture or photograph '6 and the backing card or Wall 1. Frame 2 can be formed in any desirable way but I have found it advantageous from the standpoint of simplicity and effectiveness to provide a second rabbet 8 into which fit the edges of the two side walls 9 and ill, the top wall H carrying the coin slot l2 and the bottom or base l3. To give the frame 2 a slightly tilted position with reference to the vertical and still not require receptacle I to be tilted, base [3 has the front part l4 slanted upwardly and adjacent walls cut accordingly so that the edges fitting into rabbet 8 will slant backwardly. Thus, the removable frame 2 may be fitted into place and assume the position shown in Fig. l.

The locking mechanism for locking frame 2 in position comprises a pivotally mounted cleat l5 carried by a pivot iii in wall I. This type of connection may be varied. It is desirable that the ends of cleat I5 may be swung into engagement with cooperating members I! and I8 carried by side walls 9 and I0. These members IT and I8 are cut oppositely with shoulders I9 and 20, respectively, which serve to limit the swinging movement of cleat I5. As shown in the drawing, cleat I5 is adapted to swing clockwise when looking at the inside face of back I, the right-hand end 2! entering the cut-away portion of member I! and striking against shoulder I9. The lefthand end 22 enters the cut-away portion of member I8 and strikes against shoulder at the top. The position of shoulders I9 and 20 and the direction of pivotal movement of cleat I5 may be reversed, if so desired.

- To prevent cleat I5 from being dislodged from its locking position, a locking pawl 25 is pivoted at 26 to back i of picture frame 2. 25 is adapted to be swung upwardly against cleat I5, as shown in Fig. 6, the tight engagement bind ingly holding these two parts together and keeping the ends ill and 22 of cleat I5 against shoulders I9 and 20, respectively. When pawl 25 is employed, an actuator 21 serving the purpose of a key in this device because it is used to move parts 25 and I5 into locked or unlocked position, is inserted through coin slot I2 until its hooked tip 28 engages a cooperating part on pawl 25, which, in the case of the illustration in the drawing, is a hole 29, the tip 28 being guided into hole 29 by the surface about this hole being dished as indicated at 30. It is therefore apparent that actuator 2'! may be properly called a key means although it is not designed to operate the usual tumbler mechanism heretofore employed as the locking mechanism in this type of device.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, actuator 21 is inserted through coin slot I2 and the tip 28 thereof is inserted into hole 29. Pawl 25 may then be easily moved about its pivot 26 until it is swung into engagement with cleat I 5 holding it in locked position, as shown in Fig. 6, or into its lower position, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit cleat I5 to move to unlocked position.

It will be understood that back I is secured to frame 2, say, at several points indicated at 32, so that frame 2 is held to the coin receptacle as shown when cleat 15 carried by back I is swung to its locking position. Whenever photograph B is to be changed, plate I is removed from frame 2. Hence, it is essential to first remove coin receptacle I through the use of device 21 operating the locking parts I5 and 25. It will be apparent that actuator 2'! may take any suitable form according to the design provided for .pawl '25. In its simplest form, this actuator is adapted to be inserted through coin slot I2, thereby further assisting in simplifying the structure as a whole This pawl and making it possible to provide a few parts within the bank that can be quickly operated to open the bank, either to remove the contents or to change the photograph, or both.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the gist of my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under varying conditions of service, without eliminating certain features, which may properly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle having fixed walls and a removable wall, one of said fixed walls having a slot in proximity to said removable wall, means for lock-ing said removable wall to said receptacle, said means including a centrally pivoted bar member and relatively fixed means engageable by the ends of said bar member, said bar member and said fixed means being disposed within said receptacle, one being carried by said removable wall and the other being carried by saidreceptacle, a movable member pivoted at one end to swing into engagement with and to lock said .bar member in engaging relation with said fixed means to prevent removal of said removable wall from said. receptacle, and a detachable tool extending through said slot and pivotally and deta'chably engaging said movable member at its opposite end to move said movable member into and out of said engagement with said bar member.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle having fixed wall and a removable wall, one of said fixed walls having a slot in proximity to said removable wall, means for locking said removable wall to said receptacle, said means including a pivoted bar member and relatively fixed means engageable by the ends of said bar member, said bar member and said fixed means being disposed within said receptacle, one being carried by said removable wall and the other being carried by said receptacle, a movable member inside said receptacle so mounted as to swing into engagement with and to lock said bar member in engaging relation with said fixed means to prevent removal of said removable wall from said receptacle, tool engaging surfaces of predetermined formation upon said movable member, and a detachable tool extending throughsaid slot and pivotally and detachably engaging said surfaces of predetermined formation to move said movable member into and out of said engagement with said bar member.

GEORGE C. CARLSON. 

